Thursday, June 02, 2005

The Advocate carried the story of the Acadiana Home Builders Association (AHBA) endorsement of LUS' fiber to the home project yesterday. This endorsement, by yet another conservative-leaning (like the local Republicans) and business-centric (like the Chamber of Commerce) solidifies the across the board support of the fiber-optic project. Their rationale is straightforward and makes a lot of sense:

Such a network would have the potential to attract new businesses and jobs -- which will help keep up demand for new housing, Keller said.

In addition, home builders are interested in the prospect of pre-wiring homes into the fiber-optics network to attract customers, Keller said.

Increasingly, buyers are looking for homes equipped with the latest technology that will allow them to have a home office or run a home-based business, Keller said.

It is just such small, entrepreneurial business run out the home that may well prove the most valuable economic driver of the project.